General Topics

Let’s start 2018 off right with the cutest fact ever – goats love eating Christmas trees! Skeptical? Watch them go wild: Not only do goats love it, but eating Christmas trees also provides them with nutrition. Farmers say the the pine needles have a natural de-worming quality that works to clean out their system. The environmental benefit is an added bonus. By feeding your Christmas trees to the animals, you…

Last Christmas, I excitedly unwrapped the most gorgeous present I could find with my name on it. I eagerly wondered what could it be as I ripped the paper apart…earrings from Earthbound? The comfiest PJs ever? My favorite flavor of hot cocoa? As my mind raced with the possibilities, reality quickly dawned on me. It was a pair of wool socks…with batteries attached to heat them. As if the classic…

The presents have been unwrapped, the food has been eaten, the decorations have been taken down, and life is slowly beginning to return to normal. In the wake of the chaos that is the holiday season, all that remains with us now is the mess of things we have to get rid of. Here we have your guide to clearing out your home of all of your leftover holiday items…

You probably know by now what food waste looks like. But do you know what it sounds like? That sound has really stuck with me after years spent working in the restaurant and catering business. A cross between a “plop” and a “slurp,” it’s the noise made by trays full of fingerling potatoes, veggie lasagna, and pounds and pounds of other perfectly good, edible food sliding into a trash can…

In 2001, when we installed food scrap carts at our Drop-Off Centers, we collected 42 tons of food scraps. Last year, local residents and small businesses dropped off 791 tons – a 1700% increase. That growth didn’t happen overnight, and it didn’t happen by accident. We try new initiatives every year, and refine programs to make them better. Earlier in November, those efforts were recognized by the Northeast Recycling Council,…

The Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD) has decided to close the Hinesburg Drop-Off Center at 907 Beecher Hill Rd. until construction of the Town of Hinesburg’s new highway garage is complete. The CSWD Hinesburg Drop-Off Center is closed during construction of Town Garage. “We value the strong partnership we have with the Town of Hinesburg, and after thoughtful discussions with local leadership, we decided to close the Drop-Off Center in…

If you’ve visited the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) for a tour lately, you may have noticed some bright new signage in the tour education room. Over the last year, we’ve been working with a senior design class at Champlain College to update the walls with signage that illustrated the process, the machinery, and the people that sort materials. For many of the students, it was their very first time inside…

This year marked the 47th anniversary of Green Up Day, which began in April 1970 and continues today as a unique and iconic Vermont tradition. Green Up Day brings out thousands of volunteers throughout the state to remove litter and trash from our roadways, waterways and public places. This year Green Up Day took place on Saturday, May 6th. Despite a the cool, damp weather, 2017 Green Up volunteer efforts…

Join your neighbors and hundreds of others from all around the state for Vermont’s annual labor of love on Saturday, May 6th for Green Up Day! WHAT: 47th Annual Green Up Day WHEN: Saturday, May 6th, 2017 WHERE: Your community HOW: Click here to find out how to participate We may be the Green Mountain State, but we’re also the green roadsides and riverways state! Show some love and spend a…

In 2017, CSWD organized the first annual Recycle Rally, a friendly inter-school competition that empowers students, raises awareness about resource recovery and conservation, and unites school communities around a common goal: Recycle right! This year, seven schools signed up to see who would become the Recycle Rally Rockstars of Chittenden County. Results from the pack Even schools that didn’t perform as well as they had hoped were able to identify…

The Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD) is a municipality created by the State of Vermont to manage the solid waste generated within Chittenden County. CSWD's mission is to reduce and manage the solid waste generated within Chittenden County in an environmentally sound, efficient, effective and economical manner. Our vision is for our community to fully participate in minimizing disposal and maximizing reuse and recycling.